{"id":33993,"date":"2014-08-08T13:55:26","date_gmt":"2014-08-08T20:55:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=33993"},"modified":"2021-01-24T20:41:03","modified_gmt":"2021-01-25T03:41:03","slug":"blood-feast-1963","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=33993","title":{"rendered":"Blood Feast (1963)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;Well, we&#8217;re just working with a homicidal maniac &#8212; that&#8217;s all.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Blood-Feast-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Blood-Feast-Poster-175x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"175\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-33994\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Blood-Feast-Poster-175x300.jpg 175w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Blood-Feast-Poster-74x128.jpg 74w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Blood-Feast-Poster.jpg 580w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 175px) 100vw, 175px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nA detective (William Kerwin) seeks clues to a mysterious rash of bloody killings across Miami, while the mother (Lyn Bolton) of his beautiful girlfriend (Connie Mason) arranges to have a party catered by a crazed Egyptian (Mal Arnold), who is obsessed with reenacting a sacrificial feast for the goddess Ishtar.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Detectives and Private Eyes<\/li>\n<li>Egypt and Egyptology<\/li>\n<li>Herschell Gordon Lewis Films<\/li>\n<li>Horror<\/li>\n<li>Serial Killers<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Response to Peary\u2019s Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nPeary refers to this first entry in &#8220;goremeister&#8221; Herschell Gordon Lewis&#8217;s &#8220;blood trilogy&#8221; &#8212; followed by <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=124\"><em>2000 Maniacs<\/em> (1964)<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=34009\"><em>Color Me Blood Red<\/em> (1965)<\/a> &#8212; as &#8220;vile trash&#8221; and &#8220;one of the sickest, most inept films ever made&#8221;. He notes that &#8220;the acting is ghastly&#8221;, &#8220;the casting abominable&#8221;, and the &#8220;camera work clumsy&#8221;. (He also adds that &#8220;ex-playmate Mason wears too much clothing&#8221;, but I&#8217;ll let that opinion pass.) <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Blood-Feast-Bikinis.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Blood-Feast-Bikinis-1024x574.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"359\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-57424\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Blood-Feast-Bikinis-1024x574.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Blood-Feast-Bikinis-300x168.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Blood-Feast-Bikinis-128x72.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Blood-Feast-Bikinis-768x431.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Blood-Feast-Bikinis-1536x862.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Blood-Feast-Bikinis-481x270.png 481w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Blood-Feast-Bikinis.png 1831w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\nHe writes that &#8220;ten minutes into the film [he] stop[s] laughing at the picture&#8217;s badness and start[s] to get a migraine&#8221;:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Blood-Feast-Still3.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Blood-Feast-Still3-1024x568.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"355\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-57420\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Blood-Feast-Still3-1024x568.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Blood-Feast-Still3-300x166.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Blood-Feast-Still3-128x71.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Blood-Feast-Still3-768x426.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Blood-Feast-Still3-1536x851.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Blood-Feast-Still3-487x270.png 487w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Blood-Feast-Still3-1038x576.png 1038w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Blood-Feast-Still3.png 1835w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8230; and he argues that while the &#8220;picture has camp value, to be sure&#8221; he &#8220;wonders about Lewis cultists who thrill to no-holds-barred violence and disgusting images&#8221;. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Blood-Feast-Still2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Blood-Feast-Still2-1024x574.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"359\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-57419\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Blood-Feast-Still2-1024x574.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Blood-Feast-Still2-300x168.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Blood-Feast-Still2-128x72.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Blood-Feast-Still2-768x431.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Blood-Feast-Still2-1536x861.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Blood-Feast-Still2-481x270.png 481w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Blood-Feast-Still2.png 1817w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<p>He ends his review by noting that &#8220;if you detest horror films that show how many shocking ways a creative sadist can do away with young women, then Lewis is the man you&#8217;ll want to blame and this is the film you&#8217;ll want to burn&#8221;. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Blood-Feast-Still4.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Blood-Feast-Still4-1024x569.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"356\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-57423\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Blood-Feast-Still4-1024x569.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Blood-Feast-Still4-300x167.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Blood-Feast-Still4-128x71.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Blood-Feast-Still4-768x426.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Blood-Feast-Still4-1536x853.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Blood-Feast-Still4-486x270.png 486w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Blood-Feast-Still4-1038x576.png 1038w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Blood-Feast-Still4.png 1817w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>While Peary&#8217;s points are all valid, I believe this flick holds more camp value than he gives it credit for. Its ineptitude on multiple levels is so extreme that personally, I couldn&#8217;t help giggling throughout its short (60-minute-plus) running time; and while the graphic violence against women is reprehensible, it&#8217;s all so shoddily done that &#8212; unlike with more recent\/modern fare &#8212; you simply won&#8217;t believe any of it for a second. Along those lines, I&#8217;m genuinely puzzled by Peary&#8217;s assertion that cultists &#8220;want to know exactly how Lewis accomplishes the famous effect&#8221; &#8212; considered to be &#8220;the picture&#8217;s highlight&#8221; &#8212; in which &#8220;Ramses rips a tongue out of a woman&#8217;s mouth&#8221;, given that we simply see Ramses (Arnold) putting his hand in a screaming woman&#8217;s red-paint-filled mouth, then a separate shot of Ramses holding up a (sheep&#8217;s) tongue covered with red paint. Where&#8217;s the mystery, exactly, in how this shoddy &#8220;effect&#8221; was achieved? <\/p>\n<p>Ultimately, this movie is on a par with what today&#8217;s 12-year-olds could easily achieve &#8212; and whether it should still be considered &#8220;must see&#8221; viewing is a point of debate. However, I&#8217;m leaning on the &#8220;yes&#8221; side simply due to its historical relevance for ushering in the era of &#8220;splatter films&#8221; (a dubious distinction to be sure, but a notable one). For much more information on the film&#8217;s Z-grade production history, be sure to listen to the director&#8217;s commentary on Something Weird&#8217;s DVD release. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Laughably terrible acting, special effects, and direction<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Blood-Feast-Still.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Blood-Feast-Still-1024x568.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"355\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-57421\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Blood-Feast-Still-1024x568.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Blood-Feast-Still-300x166.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Blood-Feast-Still-128x71.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Blood-Feast-Still-768x426.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Blood-Feast-Still-1536x852.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Blood-Feast-Still-487x270.png 487w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Blood-Feast-Still-1038x576.png 1038w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Blood-Feast-Still.png 1833w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, once, simply for its cult status and historical relevance.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Cult Movie<\/li>\n<li>Historically Relevant<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0056875\/?ref_=nv_sr_1\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/moria.co.nz\/horror\/blood-feast-1963.htm\">Moria Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/fantasticmoviemusings.com\/2015\/05\/25\/blood-feast-1963\/\">SciFilm Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aycyas.com\/bloodfeast.htm\">And You Call Yourself a Scientist! Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Well, we&#8217;re just working with a homicidal maniac &#8212; that&#8217;s all.&#8221; Synopsis: A detective (William Kerwin) seeks clues to a mysterious rash of bloody killings across Miami, while the mother (Lyn Bolton) of his beautiful girlfriend (Connie Mason) arranges to have a party catered by a crazed Egyptian (Mal Arnold), who is obsessed with reenacting a sacrificial feast for the goddess Ishtar. Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Detectives and Private Eyes Egypt and Egyptology Herschell Gordon Lewis Films Horror Serial&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=33993\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33993","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-responses-to-peary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33993","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=33993"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33993\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":65753,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33993\/revisions\/65753"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=33993"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=33993"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=33993"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}